IN THE HIGH COURT OF JUDICATURE AT MADRAS DATED: 04.12.2009 CORAM: THE HONBLE MR.JUSTICE K.CHANDRU W.P.No.19412 of 2009 and M.P.Nos.1 and 2 of 2009 Pradeep Kumar [ PETITIONER ] Vs 1. The Director, Local Administration Department, Puducherry. 2. The Commissioner, Bahour Commune Panchayat, Bahour. [ RESPONDENTS] Prayer :Petition under Article 226 of the Constitution of India praying for a Writ of Certiorari, calling for the records on the file of the 1st respondent in proceedings No.3475/LAD/CPII(A2)/2009 dated 12.9.2009 and quash the same as illegal, in competent and without jurisdiction. For Petitioner : Mr.V.Ragkavachari For Respondents: Ms.N.Mala, Additional Government Pleader (Puducherry) O R D E R
The petitioner is a Junior Engineer presently working in Bahour Commune. By the impugned order dated 12.9.2009, the petitioner was transferred in the same capacity to Mahe Municipality with immediate effect. The petitioner has come forward to challenge the said transfer order in this Writ Petition.
2. When the matter came up on 18.9.2009, this Court granted an interim stay and directed the counsel for the petitioner to take private notice to the respondents. The said interim order came to be continued from time to time.
3. On notice from this Court, the 1st respondent has filed a counter affidavit dated 26.10.2009 justifying the transfer order. The petitioner has filed a rejoinder dated 1.11.2009 to the counter affidavit.
4. Mr.V.Raghavachari, learned counsel appearing for the petitioner submitted that the impugned order of transfer is illegal and he raised the following three contentions. The first contention is that there is no power to transfer from one commune to another commune and therefore, the order is invalid. The second contention was that Section 73(3) of the Pondicherry Village and Commune Panchayats Act, 1973 empowers the Government to transfer any officer of a Commune Panchayat Council to the service of any other commune panchayat council or any Municipality has not been complied with. The third submission that though there were other persons who are working in the said commune panchayat for a long number of years, they have not been disturbed. Only the petitioner has been disturbed.
5. Further seeing the justification in the counter affidavit, the learned counsel for the petitioner would further submit that though his father was a Malayalee, he is not well versed in Malayalam.
6. In respect of his first contention, the learned counsel appearing for the petitioner has relied upon a decision reported in (1988) 2 Supreme Court Cases 351, General Officer Commanding-in-Chief and another Vs. Dr.Subhash Chandra Yadav and another. In that case, the Supreme Court after referring to Section 280 of the Cantonments Act found that the service in Cantonment Board is not a centralised service and it is not a service of the State either. Therefore, there is no question of transfer from one Board to another Board in the same State. The Central Government was advised to make the Cantonment Service as a Centralised Service so as to facilitate the transfer from one cantonment to another cantonment.
7. That question does not arise in the present case. Because Section 73 of the Puducherry Village and Commune Panchayats Act, 1973 (No.10 of 1973) provides power to the first respondent to transfer employees from one commune panchayat to another commune panchayat or any other village panchayat.
8. Section 73 of the Act reads as follows:
73. Transfer of officers and other employees : (1) Any officer or other other employees of a village panchayat may be transferred to the service of any commune panchayat council or any other villagepanchayat by the Director:
Provided that no officer or other employee shall be so transferred except after consulting the commissioner or the executive authorities concerned.
(2) In making a transfer under sub-section (1) the Director may issue such general or special directions as may in his opinion be necessary for the purpose of giving due effect to such transfer.
(3) Notwithstanding anything contained in this Act or the Pondicherry Municipalities Act, 1973, any officer or other employee of a commune panchayat council (including the commissioner) may be transferred by the Government to the service of any other commune panchayat council or any municipalities constituted under the Pondicherry Municipalities Act, 1973:
Provided that no officer or other employee (other than the commissioner) shall be so transferred, except after consulting the commune panchayat councils or municipal councils concerned.
(4) When making a transfer under sub-section(3), the Government may give such general or special directions as may in its opinion be necessary for the purpose of giving due effect to such transfer.
(Emphasis added)”
9. The learned counsel for the petitioner in respect of the second contention would submit that the proviso to Section 73(3) requires that no Officer or other employee other than the Commissioner shall be so transferred, except after consulting the commune panchayat councils or Muncipal councils concerned. Therefore in the present case, there was no consultation either with the Bahour Commune Panchayt or with the Mahe Municipality.
10. In response to this contention, Ms.N.Mala, learned Additional Government Pleader (Puducherry) appearing for the respondents submitted that a notice was served by the Director to the Bahour Commune Panchayat and also produced a copy of the Notice dated 2.9.2009 sent by the 1st respondent to the 2nd respondent asking their opinion for the transfer of the petitioner. There is no reference to the said order in the counter affidavit filed by the 1st respondent. In any event, the counsel for the petitioner contended that the Commune Panchayat had strongly objected to the transfer of the petitioner. The respondents are not forthcoming with the opinion expressed by the 2nd respondent. Neither his letter dated 2.9.2009 nor the reply any received from the 2nd respondent was disclosed in the affidavit.
11. The further question is that when the proviso to Section 73(3) talks about concerned Municipal Authorities means that it is referable to authorities to both the places. It means not only the place a person is transferred out but also the place in which he is to be transferred into. The counsel for the respondents fairly submitted that there is no such letter was sent to the Mahe Municipality. She also added that the provision has been understood only for the place where a person is transferred out.
12. This Court is unable to agree with the stand taken by the respondents. Further Section 73(3) requires consultation in both ends. In the present case, there is nothing on record to show that any reply was received from the 2nd respondent. It is also the stand of the respondent that no consultation has been done with the Mahe Municipality. The impugned order of transfer cannot be held to be valid without full compliance with Section 73(3) of the Act.
13. The third contention raised by the counsel for the petitioner cannot be sustained. In the counter affidavit there is a statement that petitioner is familiar with Malayalam. Since the language spoken in Mahe area is Malayalam, it is always open to the respondents to decide who will be better suited to depute in that area considering the fact that Union Territory of Puducherry is situated in three different linguistic areas. Therefore, the petitioner cannot plead against such transfer. In any event, it is open to the respondents to take appropriate decision on the matter of transfer. If there are strong reasons they can always make an exception to the general rule.
14. In the light of the above, the impugned order of transfer, dated 12.9.2009 passed by the 1st respondent is set aside in so far as there is no effective consultation with both the Bahour Commune Panchayat as well as Mahe Municipality.tsi
15. In the result, the Writ Petition is allowed. Consequently, connected Miscellaneous Petitions are closed. No costs. But it is made clear that it is open to the respondents to pass appropriate order in accordance with law.
tsi
To
1. The Director,
Local Administration Department,
Puducherry.
2. The Commissioner,
Bahour Commune Panchayat,
Bahour